A bonding press for cementing soles to the underside of lasted uppers of the general type of this invention is shown in German patent publication No. 2,503,381. That bonding press has means for supporting the upper and a press hood which is movable relative to the shoe support and includes fittings for introducing and venting a pressurized medium. The dimensionally stable press hood, which is coupled to drive means, is hermetically sealed on the underside by a circumferentially fixed soft membrane. Upon introduction of the pressure medium the membrane moves into engagement about the portion of the upper which includes the sole and extends into the free space and produces the requisite bonding pressure. In the vicinity of the opening of the shoe support an energizing switch is provided which upon insertion of the upper into the shoe support is actuated and energizes the drive means for moving the press hood. Furthermore, a switch is disposed in the bonding press for actuation by the press hood when the latter is moved to the closed position and for energizing the further switching members of the bonding press control unit. Among the other members energized on motion of the press hood are a check valve for introducing the pressurized medium into the press hood and a timing element for establishing a predetermined bonding time.
A similar bonding press for shoes comprising a laterally pivotable shoe support and switching elements for automatic control of the various movements and bonding operations is shown in German Pat. No. 2,548,943.
In manufacturing systems for making shoes, endeavors have been made in recent years toward maximum automation and increased flexibility of the various processing operations so as to permit the manufacture of different types of shoes with a minimum of manual interference in the manufacturing process. However, with known shoe bonding presses of the above-specified kind the desirable high degrees of automation cannot be achieved. Upon a change of the product series, for instance from men's walking shoes to children's or ladies' shoes or from PUR-soles to leather or rubber soles, each bonding press must be separately adapted to the respective new operating parameters. The necessary changes result in considerable expenditure of labor and time. Moreover, the possible adaptations of such known bonding presses, for instance in respect of size and shape of the insertion openings in the shoe supports or the height and position of the last support, are limited, which reduces the possibility of universal suitability of such a bonding press for greatly differing types of shoes. For this reason it is not readily possible to integrate such bonding presses in flexible manufacturing systems.